Torres del Paine- Part 8

Our final day backpacking in Torres del Paine National Park would prove to be our worst- weather wise.  Yesterday's precipitation had not yet lifted and what was snow at higher elevations in John Garner Pass was now a light steady rain drumming on the roof of our tent.  I was actually glad for it- I didn't want to leave Patagonia without experiencing all of its infamous weather.  Today would be our shortest hike taking us 6.7 miles back to Paine Grande campground.  The same camp the ferry had taken us to nine days earlier.  If all went well, we'd catch the same ferry back to a bus that would usher us into civilization.

After a week and a half of hiking our feet were worn.  In spite of our efforts to protect our feet as soon as we started to feel a 'hot spot', multiple blisters had formed on our toes, heels, and soles.  One last time, Eli and I went through the morning ritual of bandaging our feet with band-aids and moleskins.  After eating breakfast in the shelter of our tent, we slipped our boots onto our sore feet and stepped outside.  Clouds hung low over the mountains.  As we hiked along Lago Grey, the storm clouds parted revealing brilliant blue patches of sky.

Our path would take us over an 800 foot ridge, past Laguna Los Patos (Ducks Lagoon), before descending into Paine Grande campground.  As we continued to climb the skies opened up revealing sweeping vistas of Lago Grey.

Climbing a little higher we looked back and could still see the wall of ice where Grey Glacier ended.  Beyond it we could see storm clouds closing in and it soon began to rain again.  With the exception of our rain pants, we had used every single piece of gear we had been carrying with us.  As the rain picked up, we stopped to slip on our final piece of gear.  With the exception of the two pounds of trail mix still sitting in our packs that Eli and I couldn't force ourselves to eat, I was proud to be able to say we had packed everything we needed and nothing we didn't.  

As we made our way through the wet fog we entered into a more wooded area where beautiful Foxglove flowers grew alongside the trail.  Going a little farther we happened upon Laguna Los Patos.  It was a quaint pond nestled among craggy rock formations on an outcropping of the park's mountain range.  From Ducks Lagoon we would descend to Paine Grande campground.  We were nearing the end of our trip and Eli and I enjoyed this peaceful moment by the serene waters.

From there we wound our way down along the ridge back to where we had started just nine days earlier.  We had made good time too as our Ferry wouldn't be leaving for another two hours.  As we waited in camp it was hard to believe our trip was coming to an end.  We had completed the O Trek in Parque Nacional, Torres del Paine!  

As we rode the Ferry across Lake Pehoé we took one last look at this amazing park.  One of my favorite things about backpacking has nothing to do with the actual trip.  Though the anticipation of it builds up during the adventure in the wilderness- far from the comforts and conveniences of civilization.   On all my backpacking trips around the world I have always found it to hold true that one starts to think and even fantasize about eating their favorite food.  Once safely back in Puerto Natales, Eli and I ordered an oven fired pizza appropriately topped with Guanaco meat.  It tasted gamey but oh-so good!  As we ate, we laughed and recounted our adventure.

What an accomplishment!  The memories I had made with my son would last a lifetime.  Though we couldn't tell exactly how this adventure had changed us, we knew we weren't the same men who first stepped into Torres del Paine National Park a week and a half earlier.  80 miles later, at the bottom of the world- we had done it!

Torres del Paine- Part 5

After a good night's sleep with full bellies at Camp Serón the sun, rising over Rio Paine, greeted us as Eli and I climbed out of our tent.  Today we would be rounding the north-east corner of the park hiking above Lago Paine toward Dickson Glacier.  Though there were a few other backpackers moving from camp to camp with us, this back-half of the O-trek already had a much more remote feel.  It felt less touristy and more like the Patagonian wilderness I had always imagined.  

Our feet were starting to show the wear and tear after miles of hiking at the bottom of the world.  Bandages and moleskins covered our blisters and it took a concerted effort to slide our hiking boots back on and start moving again.  But once we got into a rhythm the going became easier.  Not long after leaving Camp Serón our path joined the meandering shore of the Paine River.  It's turquoise-blue color was an indicator that somewhere upstream a glacier was feeding 'glacial flour' into these waters.  Created by the slow grind of a glacier against bedrock, these incredibly fine particles of sediment were coming from Dickson Glacier and had flown all the way down through Dickson Lake, along the Rio Paine and into Lago Paine.  Our entire day's hike would follow the course of water flowing through these lakes and rivers.  

We soon found ourselves facing a steep climb up in elevation.  Eli and I paused long enough to heave our packs higher on our backs and take a deep breath before starting the climb.  We only stopped once to catch our breath.  The two of us were able to maintain a pretty good pace.  Soon we crested over the ridge and as we did a cold wind blowing directly off of Lago Paine greeted our faces.  High above the lake, beautiful green lichens we had never seen before grew in clumps at our feet.  

Our path turned westward now high above the lake with the wind unrelentingly whipping about us.  This was the Patagonian weather these regions were famous for.  Amazingly, the sun continued to shine all around us in this part of the world known for inclement weather.  It illuminated the sprawling expanse along the northern perimeter of Torres del Paine National Park.  As we continued westward far below, to our right, Lago Paine narrowed back down to become Rio Paine again.  Ahead, on the horizon, lay the mountainous landscape we would be ascending in the days to come.  Eventually our trail descended into plains on level ground with the winding river.  And then, as if out of nowhere, Dickson Glacier unexpectedly came into view.  It seemed to fill the horizon and melt into the cloudy sky.  It seemed surreal and totally natural at the same time.  Eli and I traversed over marshes and through fields like two ants making their way toward a giant frosted treat. 

After a long day of hiking the end was in sight.  As Dickson Lake came into view, we could see our welcoming camp situated on a peninsula beneath the looming glacier.  There was still plenty of daylight remaining as we made our way into the National Park's northern-most camp.  Two flags waved as we entered camp: a Chilean flag and the Magellan Flag for Chile's Antarctic region which shows the Southern Cross shining in the night sky above a golden mountain range.  

We passed through camp and pitched our tent by the lake shore with views of the glacier.  We were past the half-way point of our trip and had hiked 56 miles around more than half of Torres del Paine National Park.  We enjoyed the sweeping views while we could.  Tomorrow's trek would take us up into the narrow valley of Los Perros (The Dogs) where we would start a two-day ascent to John Gardner Pass and camp by a glacier-fed lagoon.

Torres del Paine- Part 4

The sky continued to lighten gradually revealing the silhouette of the towers looming overhead.  Eli and I had climbed on top of a massive boulder the size of a school bus.   From there we had unobstructed views of the iconic Torres del Paine.  But I wasn't enjoying the view.  I was panicking at the realization that my DSLR camera was broken.  Several frantic attempts to free up the jammed shutter only drove home the realization that I probably wouldn't be able to fix my camera in the backcountry.  We had traveled all the way to the bottom of the world and I couldn't capture this climactic moment!  Eli helped talk some sense into me.  'Yes, I couldn't use my camera but we were here and I did still have my cell phone camera.'  He was right and I wouldn't allow this to steal away the joy of this epic experience.  As the first rays of the rising sun bathed the monoliths in orange light I did my best to capture the breath-taking scene with my cell phone camera.  

Only now am I realizing how well my little cell phone camera did!  An Andean Condor soared in front of the cliffs.  Though I couldn't zoom in on wildlife I was thankful to be able to capture the sweeping landscape.  Many people who make the long trip to the base of these iconic towers never get to see them due to Patagonia's infamously inclement weather.  We were blessed with perfect weather on this glorious morning.  One I will always remember.  And the best part was sharing the experience with my son.  

As the sun continued to rise another day was before us.  We had already been up for hours and, man, what a start to the day!  Once we had soaked in as much of the scene as we could, we turned our backs to the Torres and started down into the valley toward Chileno camp where our tent was.  It was going to be our longest day of the entire trip.  We would have to hike a total of 17 miles to get to our next camp: Serón.  Thankfully the first third of today's hike would be downhill and then, after that, mostly flat.  Our route would take us through Camping Centrál where we would stop to take a break and eat our lunch.   

We soon had packed up our tent and had our 50+ pound packs strapped on our backs.  Downhill is less work on the muscles but harder on the feet and knees.  As the sun got higher it became clear that this was going to be a warm day.  Thankfully we were still shaded in the valley we had climbed the day before.  We soon deviated from yesterday's path and continued downward into open plains.  We passed groups of day hikers making their way up to the Torres del Paine.  They were coming from one of the park's luxurious hotels and many didn't appear to be used to roughing it.  A train of horses was led out onto the trail in front of us.  Eventually we made it to the hotel in a wide-open expanse with the Patagonian mountains in the backdrop.  

While we took a lunch break we were able to connect to the internet and do a video call with our family.  It was so fun to be able to share our stories and show them where we had just come from!  Normally I would hate to have technology invading this wilderness experience.  But the opportunity to share our adventure with those closest to us was so special.  Up until now we had been hiking along the popular 'W Trek' along the southern stretch of the park.  From Camping Centrál we would be turning north on the longer 'O Trek' into the backcountry of Torres del Paine National Park.  This area was more remote and was not accessible to day hikers.  Only backpackers like us could get to the places we were soon to see.  This section of the park was so different from the terrain along the W Trek.  There were no more lakes to be seen and we were now hiking through fields and prairies.  As we circumnavigated the mountain we had descended that morning we could see the Torres tucked away in the distance!  

Our feet ached and it was beginning to take some mental perseverance to push through the pain with each step.  Our feet were beginning to blister and it was necessary to bandage our feet with moleskins each morning.  After miles of hiking we exited a wooded section above a wide, gently sloping valley with the turquoise blue Rio Paine meandering through it.  Somewhere down in that valley was our camp.  We descended and continued to hike through open spaces offering little shade.  The sun was severe!  We could feel the intensity of the UV Rays and I offered my sun hat to Eli.  This already had been such a long day!  Our packs weighed on us.  We reached the Rio Paine and enjoyed its beauty as our path followed its contours.  Finally, we reached camp Serón.

After pitching our tent we walked around the camp.  It was a peaceful place in an open field not far from the river.  We had ordered a home-cooked dinner here at camp Serón- our only one during our nine days in the park.  After 17 miles of hiking, when the dinner bell rang, you better believe we enjoyed every bite of the salmon over pasta dish!  We were even more grateful to have made it safely into camp when we saw a sign warning that the UV rays had been indexed at 11, 'Extreme'!  

After such a long day of being exposed to the sun's intensity it was hard to believe that we had been shivering in the dark by the mountain lake, Lago Torres, just that morning!